White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed a question about whether President Joe Biden's age or stamina could prove to be an obstacle to his reelection.
CNN's Don Lemon asked her on Monday: "Does the president have the stamina, physically and mentally, do you think, to continue on even after 2024?"
Smiling, she replied: "Don, you're asking me this question. Oh my gosh. He's the president of the United States. You know, he ... I can't even keep up with him.
"We just got back from New Mexico. We just got back from California. That is not a question that we should be even asking. Just look at the work that he does, look at how he's delivering for the American public."
Earlier on Monday, Jean-Pierre had tweeted: "To be clear, as the president has said repeatedly, he plans to run in 2024,"
Biden had said in a press briefing Jan. 19 that he would seek reelection if his health is good and if former President Donald Trump runs. He said Vice President Kamala Harris would be his running mate. That would make him 82 if sworn in Jan. 20, 2025, and 86 when leaving office. He already is the oldest serving president.
But former President Barack Obama's chief strategist David Axelrod told The New York Times last week that Biden's age could be a liability.
"The presidency is a monstrously taxing job and the stark reality is the president would be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of a second term, and that would be a major issue," Axelrod told the Times.
CNN noted that Jean-Pierre called the article "hearsay."
"That's not what we care about — we care about, how are we going to deliver for the American people?" she said. "How are we going to make their lives better? That's what the President talks about. That is his focus. And that's where we're going to continue to focus on."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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